


with love, from Maria

by TheFinalOtp



Series: rhodeytony fics [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, But like for 2 seconds, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Dum-E - Freeform, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes-centric, M/M, MIT Era, Maria Stark's A+ Parenting, Marriage Proposal, My man Rhodey is very underappreciated, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27901516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFinalOtp/pseuds/TheFinalOtp
Summary: When he thought of home, he thought of the expensive apartment they had personalised with dorky posters and machine parts lying around. He thought of leaving bright post-it papers around to remind Tony to do the dishes. He thought of Tony, with his big brown eyes and sassy demeanour that always lit Jim’s nerves alight. He thought of the warm feeling in his chest.orThe five times Tony proposed to Rhodey, and one time Rhodey proposed to him.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Series: rhodeytony fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150091
Comments: 15
Kudos: 162





	1. 1

Jim was on his way to the bathroom when he found the boy. He looked young to be in a college party, and he looked way too young to be slumped against a wall, drunk off his ass. He contemplated whether he should just walk by, but then the boy let out a pitiful moan and Jim just had to help him at that point. He crouched in front of the brunet and tried to make eye contact. 

"Hey, you okay? Need some help?"

The boy's brown eyes were slits as he looked at Jim with a blank gaze. He managed a brief nod, and Jim reached out to help him up. The boy was practically dead weight in his arms, and Jim looped his arm around the boy's waist to support him.

"Okay, should I call you a cab?"

The boy mumbled something incomprehensible. Jim leaned closer. 

"Take me home," the boy slurred. 

"I can't, I don't know where you live," Jim said patiently. 

"No." The boy put his lax hand on Jim's chest. "Take me home."

Oh.

"Jesus, kid, you're like, fifteen or something. No. You're gonna tell me where should I take you now?"

The boy slumped against Jim's chest and let out another pitiful moan. Jim sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have interfered after all - but the boy was willingly offering himself to strangers, and there were a lot of people who could take advantage of him. 

The boy seemed passed out again, so Jim did the only thing he could - he took the boy to his own dorm room.

In the morning, after the boy woke up in Jim's bed (alone and untouched, thank you very much), he shook Jim awake from where he had fallen asleep on a chair. 

"Thank you for... you know."

"No problem, any decent person would have done the same."

The boy smiled playfully. "Not everyone. I'm not sure I remember your name?"

"James Rhodes," Jim said, extending a hand. 

"Tony Stark." He shaked the offered hand. "You know, if you're always this decent, I'm down to marry you. You aren't even freaking out about my surname."

Jim froze, but Tony didn't seem to realise. He simply threw a "Anyway, I need to go finish an essay due yesterday. See you around, Rhodey!" over his shoulder before leaving the room. 

A weird silence rung in the room after Tony's departure. Jim wasn't sure he liked Tony yet, but it was undeniable that the young boy was interesting. Time would tell the rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Gifts. So many gifts. 

A Ferrari, the keys to a brand new apartment smack middle in Paris, another one in Amsterdam, three different watches that Jim was sure could cover all of his family's debts - all from Howard and Maria Stark. A huge box of homemade biscuits and a fine selection of coffee from Jarvis, which Tony visibly cherished more. And so many more expensive presents from his childhood friends, from those who seeked to be in favor of the youngest Stark. 

For Tony's 18th birthday, Jim made Dum-E a companion named Sil-E. 

When he showed it to Tony, only slightly embarrassed that this wasn't a very expensive gift like the others, Tony froze up for a second. Then he looked at the robot, who was busy playing fetch (and failing) with Dum-E. Then suddenly Jim had a lapful of billionaire. 

"I love it," Tony whispered hoarsely. His arms around Jim's neck tightened. "This is the best present ever, thank you Rhodey." His face was buried in Jim's neck, and he made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sniff. 

Tony pulled back, smacked a wet kiss on Jim's forehead despite his yelp of protest, then ran off to play with the bots. 

Later that night, when they both were drunk on beer and vodka and happiness, Tony declared that one day, they were going to get married and make many, many robot children.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was the one to welcome him when Jim returned from his very first mission. 

The genius ran to jump on him as soon as he stepped inside their shared apartment in New York. His legs wrapped around Jim’s waist as he tried to squeeze him to death. 

“Rhodey! I missed you so much, Jesus, welcome home - I have so much to tell you! Oh, shit, you must me dead tired - c’mon.”

Tony pulled him in the living room, where boxes and boxes Chinese of takeout lay on the coffee table - Jim’s favourite. He threw himself on the couch, immediately melting as his body finally registered that he was home. 

They spent the afternoon chatting and eating lazily. Tony was sprawled on the other end of the sofa, one foot pressed against Jim’s calf. The domesticity of the setting was something Jim had gotten used to in the past few years, he realised. When he thought of home, he thought of the expensive apartment they had personalised with dorky posters and machine parts lying around. He thought of leaving bright post-it papers around to remind Tony to do the dishes. 

He thought of Tony, with his big brown eyes and sassy demeanour that always lit Jim’s nerves alight. He thought of the warm feeling in his chest. 

Jim was aware that whatever this was they had with Tony wasn’t a strictly platonic relationship - but oh boy, he was really gone on this dork. So when the darkness came, and Tony slid into Jim’s bed, admitting how much he had missed “his Rhodey”, telling him that he would never let him go again, Jim simply kissed him on the forehead and hoped that all that was true.


	4. Chapter 4

Jim searched Tony for three months. Three months that his best friend, his other half was gone. His absence burned a hole through Jim's heart, grief and determination and hope all blended together to choke him like ash in his lungs. He woke up to nightmares about finding Tony's body, or worse, never finding him. He had up to dreams of finally holding Tony in his arms again that crumbled around him as his alarm clock went off in the morning.

When he finally (finally, _finallyfinallyfinally_ -) grabbed Tony as the younger collepsed into his arms, filthy and thin but alive, Jim wasn't fully sure that this wasn't one of these dreams. Yet, he had never dreamed of that glowing thing on Tony's chest, whatever that was - probably Tony inventing his way out of the caves.

"How was the fun-vee?" he asked, because goddamn, if Tony had to curse Jim with nearly making that his last words to the man, he was going to get payback. "Next time, you ride with me."

Later that day, after they got Tony home, after he shut down the weapons department and Jim was just too tired to fight him about it, they found themselves laying down in Tony's bed. Jim didn't need to look at his friend to know that he wouldn't go to sleep for a long time - hours, probably days. Yet, Jim had initiated lockdown procedures and ordered Tony to get in bed.

He knew that there was a crisis outside these doors, he knew that the stocks were losing value and the press was having a field day. He didn't care.

They laid side by side silently, not touching but close enough to feel the warmth of each other. Jim didn’t know what was going on in the other’s mind, but he was thinking about Tony’s chest, the blue light in it. It was lodged deep inside the man and wasn’t there because Tony had wanted it to, despite Jim’s first impression. Somehow, some way, it was more horrendous than any of Jim’s nightmares - and that made him sure that this was real.

He hated it.

He thought of the time Maria and Howard died. He had held Tony as he finally broke down weeks after the funeral. He thought of the day his own sister had died during childbirth, how Tony had somehow managed to make the same soup Mama Rhodes used to make when someone was feeling down, how they cuddled on the couch. This time, it felt wrong to hold Tony. This man, his best friend, had endured many kinds of torture and trauma. Whould he be okay with being touched, or would he flinch and pull pack?

As if he could hear Jim’s thoughts, Tony suddenly rolled to his side and scooted closer. One of his calloused hands tugged Jim’s dog tags out of his shirt and started idly playing with them.

“You know,” he said lightly, “there was this other man with me in the cave. One day, he asked me if I had a family - and I said I didn’t. I wish I had one, though. I guess it would be nice. Safe.”

“You do have a family, Tones. We’ve got each other, don’t we?”

_Don’t we?_ The question felt like a grenade, and Jim tensed immediately after asking it.

There was something between them, still hanging in the air - it had been there for so many years that Jim couldn’t remember a time before it. Yet it remained unaddressed, the anticipation of something kept growing and growing - till now, till the bomb of a question Jim accidentally dropped.

The hand around his dog tags tightened, and Tony pulled him closer than ever. “One day, hopefully,” he said softly, and pressed his chapped lips to the corner of Jim’s mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony and Pepper landed on the roof with thud. The Expo was a mess behind them, and Pepper was trembling - partly from shock, partly from rage. She shouted at Tony for a good five minutes, then sucked in a breath in an attempt to calm down. 

"You two," she said, glaring and Jim and Tony, "are idiots. I'm going home. Fix this mess, or I swear to God I'll retire, Tony." With that, she went inside the building to presumably use the elevator to reach the ground. 

“Shit, that was scary,” Jim said.

“Yeah, you know, it’s Pepper,” Tony replied, shrugging. 

“I - well, yeah, she was scary too, but I meant the actual near death experience.”

“Pepper is a near death experience.”

“Tony.” Jim glared, and Tony realised he was serious. “I really freaked out back there. You know, the suit was going after you, and I couldn’t control it - I, I felt helpless.”

“Rhodey.” Tony stepped out of the suit, and their height difference became even more accented. “Even if something had happened, it wouldn’t be your fault. Like you said, you weren’t in control.”

“I could have hurt you.”

“It wouldn’t be you. But even if you ever do, I would forgive you. You know that.”

Jim didn’t know who leaned forward first, but then they were kissing and holding one another. It was awkward because Jim was still in that bulky suit, but it didn’t matter.

When he pulled back, Tony tucked his face in Jim’s neck. His lips brushed against the dark skin as he whispered:

“Marry me.”

“What?” Jim grabbed Tony to push him away gently so he could see his face. 

Tony looked him straight in the eye with bravado and repeated: “Marry me.”

Jim got out of the suit and grabbed the other man’s waist. “Are you serious?” he demanded. 

“I am. Honey, please, I love you, I need you, I need you with me.”

Jim surged forward and pressed his lips to Tony’s. Yet, when he pulled back, he could feel his hands trembling.

“We can’t, baby. Look at this mess behind us. If you declare that you’re marrying a man, a military man nonetheless right after this, you’ll go bankrupt. We can’t, I’m so sorry.”

Tears welled up in Tony’s eyes. Jim knew how much he hated crying, so when the other man turned his back to gather himself for a second, he let him.

“So that’s a no?” Tony finally asked, voice wavering.

“It’s a ‘not now’, baby. Of course I want to marry you. Just thinking about you with a ring I put on your finger makes me smile.”

They shared a one last kiss on the rooftop, bitter with tears and desperation. 

“One day,” Jim promised, “one day. I’ll even come back from the dead, I swear Tony, I’m gonna keep my promise.”


	6. Chapter 6

The braces were just perfect. They worked smoothly, no delay time whatsoever - a token of Tony's love and devotion, truly.

Jim still had a hard time believing what had happened to him, he had a hard time processing he couldn't use his legs anymore. If it weren't for Tony, he would be in a wheelchair. He still dreamed of falling, he dreamed of calling for Tony, he dreamed of Tony screaming his name as he crashed - and pain, pain, so much pain. If it ended, it would have ended there for him.

Yet it hadn't, and they both were bruised and broken in many ways - but alive. Jim knew that if this moment wouldn't be a cornerstone in their relationship, no time else would.

The old velvet box in his pocket was a question to be answered. Inside, there was a ring that someone very special had trusted him with.

(Jim was very young then, Tony was younger. It was August of 1991, he was visiting Tony's family home. Mrs. Stark had pulled Jim aside and had laid the box gently in his hand. "This is mine - I want it to be a part of Tony's marriage, when he falls in love. When the time comes, will you give it to him? I trust you to keep it safe, James." At the time, Jim had thought that Mrs. Stark had wanted him to hold onto the ring till Tony wanted to marry a girl - but now, he was nearly certain that her judgement of the future was more accurate than Jim had thought. She must have had a hunch - she was a mother, after all.)

The gold band had to be thinned down to become wider so it could fit on Tony's finger. The small ruby buried at the front was untouched - it was Iron Man's color, anyway.

"You look chipper today, platypus," Tony said playfully when Jim walked into the workshop. He looked tired. The light in his eyes had dimmed ever since the Avengers left and left a huge shitstorm behind.

Jim kissed him, soft and chaste. "I'm having a good day. Your improvements on the braces are great - thank you, by the way. I can kneel and get up smoothly now."

Tony's eyebrows flew up. "Is that an offer of a blowjob, honey? Because the answer is always yes for you."

Jim stole another kiss and hummed. "Yeah, I could do that. I can also do this." He pulled back before pulling the box out of his pocket and kneeling on one knee.

"Rhodey, are you..?" Tony demanded, sounding slightly breathless.

"Tones, I'm not going to give a long speech, because there aren't any words that I haven't already used to say how much you mean to me. I just want to say that I love you and I'm so glad I got to have you in my life for this long. So what do you say, baby? You wanna finally tie the knot?"

"I... Yes! Of course honey, holy shit, let's get married." Then he was kneeling right besides Jim, and they were kissing and crying tears of happiness. Jim slipped the ring on his boyfriend's - his fiance's - finger.

The next day, during the first morning Tony woke up as an engaged man, he would realise the engraving inside the ring, maybe cry a little - and know that everything would eventually be okay.

_with love, from Maria_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn’t clear, the engraving is the phrase in the title. I hope you enjoyed this little fic! Comments and kudos are highly appreciated :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! First of all, I’m not a native speaker and this work is unbeta’ed, so excuse me for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Kudos, comments and constructive criticism is appreciated. Hope you liked it!


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